# Application.rb overload? **URL:** \ **Category:** Engines\ **Created:** [June 22, 2007, 8:30pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/application-rb-overload/107542 "2007-06-22T20:30:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pgundlach](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/b9e5f3/32.png) [@pgundlach](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/pgundlach)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2007, 8:30pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/application-rb-overload/107542/1 "2007-06-22T20:30:47Z")
Hi, I have an authentification application with methods such as “logged\_in?” in controllers/application.rb. But when I moved the application.rb from a real app to an engine, these methods are not known anymore. I call the method from a controller within the engine. Did I miss anything? Side note: the login\_controller in the engine is called, so the engine is active in a way. Patrick ---
**Author:** ![pgundlach](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/b9e5f3/32.png) [@pgundlach](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/pgundlach)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2007, 12:28pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/application-rb-overload/107542/2 "2007-06-24T12:28:09Z")
Repost, because I wasn’t subscribed to the mailing list: > I have an authentification application with methods such as “logged\_in?” > in controllers/application.rb. But when I moved the application.rb from > a real app to an engine, these methods are not known anymore. I call the > method from a controller within the engine. Did I miss anything? > > Side note: the login\_controller in the engine is called, so the engine > is active in a way. > > Patrick ---
**Author:** ![pgundlach](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/b9e5f3/32.png) [@pgundlach](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/pgundlach)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2007, 4:36pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/application-rb-overload/107542/3 "2007-06-24T16:36:12Z")
IIRC, engines cause rails to scan plugin/app/controller/\*\*/\*\_controller.rb. If you are overriding ApplicationController in the plugin, you might need to go to plugin/lib or somewhere else guaranteed to load. Just a Guess, Marc ---
**Author:** ![pgundlach](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/b9e5f3/32.png) [@pgundlach](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/pgundlach)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2007, 6:43pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/application-rb-overload/107542/4 "2007-06-24T18:43:44Z")
Hi Marc, > IIRC, engines cause rails to scan > plugin/app/controller/\*\*/\*\_controller.rb. Most likely, yes. > If you are overriding ApplicationController in the plugin, you might > need to go to plugin/lib or somewhere else guaranteed to load. What I do now is copy the code to myplugin.rb and require it from init.rb. This works fine, although it doesn’t feel ‘right’. But what counts is that it works as intended so thanks for the hint! Patrick ---
**Author:** ![pgundlach](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/b9e5f3/32.png) [@pgundlach](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/pgundlach)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2007, 7:09pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/application-rb-overload/107542/5 "2007-06-26T19:09:04Z")
The approach I’ve used was to name a library after your engine (e.g. module FooEngine in foo\_engine.rb in the plugin’s lib directory) then include it into your application.rb – Tony A. ClickCaster, Inc. ---
**Author:** ![pgundlach](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/b9e5f3/32.png) [@pgundlach](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/pgundlach)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2007, 6:01pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/application-rb-overload/107542/6 "2007-06-26T18:01:54Z")
It seems wrong to me that you’d even want a file called “application.rb” in a plugin. If you want methods to be available to all controllers, you can achieve this by adding the methods to ActionController::Base via module inclusion. Having routable controllers in plugins doesn’t mean that _everything_ under your\_plugin/app should get mixed - code mixing is the special case, and shouldn’t be relied upon too much.